Tiny white coffin carried into tear-stained church at funeral for boy, 7, killed by firework that flew into apartment on July 4

Published: 07:40, 16 July 2026 | Updated: 07:40, 16 July 2026 A 7-year-old boy who was killed when a firework started an apartment fire in North Carolina was laid to rest in a tiny white casket during a heartbreaking funeral.  Cashmere Elijah Parker, who was in the first grade, died at Ashbrooke Apartments on Independence Day, leaving the Dunn community devastated. A funeral service was held on Tuesday at Central Baptist Church's Chapel, where Cashmere was laid to rest in the white coffin, according to Fox8.   At the service, friends, family, and teachers gathered to honor Cashmere. Principal Beth Elmore said that the boy loved to sing gospel songs and that his voice will forever echo through the school, according to the outlet. 'Cashmere made us better people,' Elmore said. 'I'm a better principal. I can say fly high, sweet eagle. Your song forever echoes through the halls of Plain View.' 'He reminds us to hug each other a little tighter, to smile a little bigger, to sing a little louder, to ask more questions, and to care deeply,' she added. Cashmere's mother, Gloria Parker, described how she is suffering after losing her child to CBS 17: 'You don't know the pain if you never lost a child. Cashmere Elijah Parker, 7, who was in the first grade, died in a fire at Ashbrooke Apartments on Independence Day Officials said a firework started the fire which sparked after Cashmere and his father went to bed 'I'm still grieving over my mother from three years ago. Now this is killing me. It's killing me. I'm hurting. I'm hurting.' The mother watched her son's final moments from CCTV footage inside their apartment, according to the outlet. The video showed the little boy knocking on the doors and windows, screaming for help. Before the little boy was killed, police said that he and his father had gone to bed before the tragedy struck. Investigators found that the firework was a 'cake style' explosive which shoots multiple rounds, according to a Dunn Police Department press release, seen by People. However, officials said the firework malfunctioned and began firing horizontally. 'Investigators determined the fireworks had not been properly stabilized, causing projectiles to travel approximately 100 feet before entering the Parker family's apartment through a window, igniting a fire inside the residence,' read the press release. Officials said Brittany Armstrong, 35, set off an illegal firework that shot into the apartment and was charged with involuntary manslaughter. Cashmere's mother, Gloria Parker, told CBS 17 that she watched her son's final moments from CCTV footage inside their apartment, which showed the little boy knocking on the doors and windows, screaming for help Brittany Armstrong, 35, set off an illegal firework that shot into the apartment where Cashmere was sleeping, said officials. Armstrong was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter. A GoFundMe was launched to help cover funeral expenses, which raised more than $20,000. 'We are asking our community, friends, neighbors, and anyone moved by this tragedy to come together in support of this family during their darkest time,' reads the GoFundMe. 'No donation is too small, and every contribution will help ease some of the financial stress as they focus on mourning the loss of their beloved child.' Dunn Police Chief Timothy Gay said at a press conference on July 7 that Armstrong was arrested in Fayetteville after she failed to turn herself in, according to WRAL. According to the outlet, she appeared in court on July 8 and her next appearance is scheduled for July 28.